Archive for July 24th, 2009

A MONSTER MUSHROOM IN OUR MIDST

Researchers have reported finding a mycelium (mushroom base) beneath the soil of Michigan that is 1,500 years old and 35 acres wide, and weighs 100 tons. This mycelium is from the fungus Armillaria bulbosa, a root pathogen of aspen. Using molecular methods, the researchers mapped the extent of the fungus genome to show that the mycelium germinated from a single spore. (In case you’re in the neighborhood, the researchers place the monster on the upper peninsula of Michigan at 45°58’28” N, 88°21’46” W.) How fast and how large the mycelium grows depends on environmental factors such as soil temperature and the accessibility of food.

DOES FUNGI HAVE INTELLIGENCE?

Fungi, in their own small way, may exhibit a primitive intelligence. How else can one explain advanced behavior on the part of certain fungi, such as Cordyceps curculionum and the amoeba-like slime mold Physarum polycephalum?

Cordyceps refers to different varieties of fungi that grow and feed on the bodies of insects.  In the case of Cordyceps curculionum, the spore attaches itself to an ant, germinates, begins feeding, and grows into a small mushroom. The ant, meanwhile, with the mushroom riding piggyback, goes about its normal business. One day, however, the ant is seized with a sudden desire to climb a tree, and up it goes. When it reaches a height sufficient for the release of the Cordyceps curculionum spores, the ant digs its mandibles into the tree and remains there for the rest of its life. When it finally dies, the spores are released from on high and are spread far and wide on the forest floor. Cordyceps curculionum shows admirable restraint by not eating the ant right away, a display of moderation in the presence of food that seems to demonstrate a level of intelligence.

To test the intelligence of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum, Toshiyuki Nakagaki of the Bio-Mimetic Control Research Center, in Nagoya, Japan, placed pieces of the mold in the middle of a five-square-inch maze. In the two exit points of the maze, he placed a food source, ground oat flakes. The idea was to see whether the fungus would abandon its normal method of foraging for food—by spreading outward from a central point of germination—and instead grow directly toward the food sources. To his surprise, Nakagaki discovered that the mold did indeed go straight toward the food sources. The organism stretched itself in a thin line along the contours of the maze until it reached the exit points. Similar to a laboratory rat, the slime mold was able to negotiate the maze and find the food.

SOURCE: Healing Mushrooms, Effective Treatments for Today’s Illnesses